By Sharon Oliver
Contributing Writer
BOSTON – For a rock group who had never been to Boston at the time, the Standells captured the spirit of Bostonians with their song “Dirty Water.” Although written by their producer Ed Cobb, the “punk band of the 1960s” recorded the hit song in 1966 and it resonates to the point of being the anthem of several Boston sports teams.
“Dirty Water” is played after every Boston Bruins and Boston Red Sox win with the Sox being the first to play it after home wins in 1997. The Celtics and Bruins soon followed suit. The song’s lyrics dive deeper than that of the Charles River’s once notoriously polluted waters. Nevertheless, it is celebrated.
Inspired by a mugging
Ed Cobb wrote the song after his experience of being robbed by a mugger on a bridge over the Charles River. The song also makes reference to the infamous Boston Strangler and dorm curfews for college women at the time. Standells band members, Dick Dodd, Larry Tamblyn (brother of actor Russ Tamblyn), and Tony Valentino have claimed song composition copyright and arrangement contributions with Tamblyn having once stated Cobb’s version was a “standard blues song.”
“Dirty Water” reached No. 11 on the Billboard charts on June 11, 1966, No. 8 on the Cashbox charts on July 9, 1966, and No. 1 on the Record World charts. The song was on the WLS-FM Chicago playlist for 17 total weeks, tied only by The Mamas and the Papas’ “California Dreamin’” for most weeks on that playlist during the 1960s.
In 1997, two local music chain stores celebrated their joint 25th anniversary by assembling over 1500 guitarists, along with a few singers and drummers, to perform “Dirty Water” for over 76 minutes at the Hatch Shell adjacent to the Charles River. Given short notice, and at the invitation of the Red Sox, The Standells played “Dirty Water” before the second game of the 2004 World Series. They played at Fenway Park again in 2005 and 2006 and performed the national anthem at the first game of the 2007 American League Division Series at Fenway Park.
Fans share memories
This vintage clip on YouTube of the Standells shows them performing the song.
@99jerseyboy comments:
“I’ll admit that even as a New York Yankee fan, when they play this song after a Red Sox win at the infamous and beautiful Fenway Park in Boston, it’s amazing enough to bring a tear to your eye because it’s great for the sport of baseball. And it’s always a great party in Beantown afterwards. Every city needs a song that defines it. This is Boston’s.”
Brian Garitty writes on Facebook:
“When I was stationed on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba from 1988-91, my captain would always pipe “Dirty Water” over the ship’s intercom system as we approached our home port on Commercial Street. After 6 weeks at sea, I really learned to appreciate the lyrics.”
Artists who have covered the song include Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen, and even “Weird” Al Yankovic during his evening show at The Wilbur Theater in 2018. “Dirty Water” is also featured in the films “Celtic Pride” (1996), “The Secret Life of Girls” (1999), “Stateside” (2004), and “Fever Pitch” (2005).
When bandmember Tony Valentino first arrived in America from Italy, he could not speak a word of English. Original member Dick Dodd died in 2013. “Dirty Water” is listed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s “500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.” Written by Larry Tamblyn, the Standells biography “From Squeaky Clean to Dirty Water” was published in 2022.
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